Harley bikers arrive in Milwaukee
They came from the “four corners” of the U.S. and Tuesday arrived in Milwaukee, dozens of Harley-Davidson riders here for Harley’s 115th anniversary party that gets going Wednesday.
Brian Williams of Scottsdale, Arizona, summed up his ride like this: “Good people, good times. And the scenery coming into New Mexico from Arizona was just awesome.”
His uncle is Willie G. Davidson, the grandson of Harley-Davidson co-founder William Davidson.
At the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, “Willie G,” as he’s called by his fans, greeted the riders, including his son and daughter, Bill and Karen Davidson, as they arrived from a trip that originated in San Diego.
One of the riders, Jorge Morena from Colombia, will certainly be glad to have made it to Milwaukee.
His Harley lost its windshield and a blinker from hitting a cow in Nicaragua.
Then he hit a mattress that flew off the back of a pickup truck in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
His bike was wrecked, and he suffered a broken arm.
Yet, showing true grit, Morena continued his trek to Milwaukee in a rented Ford car.
He’s a “survivor,” his co-riders on the trip said.
“He’s got that badge, for sure,” said Greg Maleshek of Waukesha, who with his wife, Heather Maleshek, rode their Harleys on the Southwest route from San Diego.
Gearing up for the celebration, Harley
had four organized rides to Milwaukee from the “four corners” of the U.S.: Seattle; San Diego; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Portland, Maine.
Most of the riders arrived in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY Network had a journalist on each of the rides.
Morena left Colombia Aug. 6, leading five riders more than 9,000 miles over 20 days through Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and crossing the U.S. border into Laredo, Texas.
In Nicaragua, Morena hit a cow that had broken loose from its herd, and he ended up flying sideways off his bike. Aside from some bruises, he was fine, but the cow that collided with the bike didn’t fare so well.
In Tulsa, where he hit the mattress, Morena was taken to the hospital, filed a police report and then kept on going toward Milwaukee in a car.
On the group ride from Florida, Vinny Cimillo says he’s got a little extra motivation to stay in the saddle for the 1,600-mile trip.
His younger sister, Rose, is battling colon cancer.
“The streamer is for Rose,” he said about a pink frill he’s had hanging from his bike since leaving home Saturday morning. “It’s just been one thing after another for her.”
Having lost a leg from diabetes, Rose can’t ride a motorcycle, but Cimillo said he still plans a road trip with his sister if doctors can get rid of her cancer.
“I promised I’d take her to the Grand Canyon,” he said.
The 59-year-old Venice, Florida, biker has owned dozens of motorcycles in his day, including the 2003 Heritage Springer he’s riding to Milwaukee for HarleyDavidson’s Ride Home.
The Rides Home have covered a wide swath of the U.S. and every type of terrain.
“I still don’t know what my favorite part of this trip is. There could be something around the corner that could just blow everything else away,” said Paul Lathrop of Iowa City, Iowa, about 90 miles from Milwaukee.